Even In Victory, Henrik Lundqvist Ended Up Flat On His Back Wondering What The Hell Just Happened5/22/2017
It's almost as if it were fate, or even destiny. I know it was the result of an overly excited young player getting his first taste of a semi-professional championship, but I'll be damned if it doesn't feel like there are other forces working to make sure Henrik Lundqvist's seasons (or in this case, tournaments) conclude with him flat on the rink. "The King" who has yet to be crowned simply always finds a way to be staring up at the ceiling or directly down at the ice when the final buzzer blows. Like, the visual of him lying helpless after getting straddled by William Nylander was novel in the sense that it finally followed a win, but even in victory he ended up assuming his seemingly annual position of defeat. Maybe - in a strange way - that's symbolic of the harsh reality that one of greatest goaltenders of all time is going to have to settle for celebrating first place in a tournament whose participation is predicated on professional failure. He just won a gold medal for his country and it undoubtedly feels like a net loss. Maybe (Also see: Definitely) I'm biased in saying the clip of him getting driven into the playing surface during a euphoric moment served as a painful reminder of how little the 'World Championships' should mean to a player of his caliber. Maybe the New York Rangers will figure out to how ice a competent defense that allows a generational netminder to win a championship that's worthy of his talents so he is resigned to retiring to a criminally underwhelming trophy case. Though, if I'm going to get that outlandish with my hypotheticals then it would be an injustice not to mention that farm animals that roll around in shit all day might also someday grow wings and fly.
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